Dawgg

100% accurate. However, lemmings on this board with no semblance of objectivity will continue to absolve this front office of any accountability that is commonplace in other NFL cities. Russ Brandon is more interested in hiring a GM he can "control" than hiring one that could potentially overshadow his role with the team.

Trapasso is a certified idiot. Rabid Bills fan posing as a journalist wannabe.

In headed to London for work and am eagerly seeking a way to catch Sunday's game. After checking in on the "London Bills Backers" location I found that the game cannot be played at that venue. I've tried to find answers on other forums and pardon me for posting this if it has already been answered. But any thoughts on sports bars playing all nfl games (or at least the only one that matters) is much appreciated. Thanks!

^ This

After Kolb went down last season, the search for a veteran backup should have begun right then and there. It didn't and instead, the Bills populated the most important position in professional sports with an undrafted rookie best suited to selling insurance and a player for whom they traded and was barely of NFL caliber. The FO should have known that Tuel and Lewis makes for a bad stable of QBs. Any good front office would have that foresight. There's no disputing your contention that the front office had no idea they'd suck so bad. Therein lies the problem. The lack of foresight is abominable. I repeat: an NFL front office is and should be held to a higher standard than its fan base.

We're splitting hairs here. I think it's safe to say that a number of players are concerned about EJ's play, as it has the most direct correlative impact on the success of the team this season. The Bills panicked, plain and simple. That's not a bad thing, but it is what it is. It's unfortunate that our front office is incapable of adequately assessing its stable of QBs. - 1 year ago, the front office felt that a rookie 1st round QB did not need a dedicated QB coach - 6 months ago, the front office felt that Thad Lewis is an adequate NFL Backup (http://wivb.com/2014...s-as-backup-qb/) - 6 months ago, the front office felt that Jeff Tuel belonged on an NFL roster - 2 weeks ago, the front office felt that Jordan Palmer (whose QB statistics were worse than that of Brian Moorman) could be a viable backup. Now, Thad has been cut (and no team has claimed him) Jeff Tuel was cut and relegated to the practice squad (after not a single team claimed him) Jorda Palmer has been released and will probably retire Do you think a good front office operation would have handled the most important position in professional sports in such a lackluster fashion?

Report from Jason Cole: " data-controller="core.front.core.autosizeiframe" data-embedId='f01107853aff54cf3e813f6b9dd1a684' allowfullscreen=''> I've seen it elsewhere, but like I previously mentioned, I don't care about proving anything to you. Thanks It's a catch-22, right? In order to stay close to the Bills' brass, you can't really violate their trust and break inside info can you? Unlike reporters with a national scope, he can't really write about other teams -- so alienate the Bills, and his bread and butter is gone. Thus, he walks a fine line. A mere implication from someone like him so close to the team carries weight IMO. Jason Cole reported this also: https://twitter.com/JasonPhilCole/status/503281788920553472

I don't need to provide you with a source and quite frankly don't really give a hoot as to whether you have seen a report let alone believe it. PTR confirmed that Wawrow has even suggested it and it's safe to say he's quite close to the team.

Wonderful. So you're holding an NFL front office to the same standards as those of fans from a fan message board. This is why the Bills continue to settle for mediocrity - even longtime fans are OK with it

Yes. They went out and signed the best QB available today so kudos to them. But to be perfectly fair, that's not very hard to do in this business -- to scan the market, identify the only viable veteran QB on the market and convince him to come to Buffalo by making him the highest-paid backup in the NFL, all without having to spend a single day in training camp. That, anybody on this board can do, if they had the power to write a $5M check. Far more concerning is this front office's lack of foresight and its inability to assess its own talent. How on earth could Whaley be comfortable with Thad Lewis and Jeff Tuel as his backup options at the most important position in professional sports? A good GM would have had a viable contingency plan in place. EJ could have benefited both last year and this year with a veteran QB in the room. Instead, EJ was paired with: 1) An offensive coordinator whose last NFL job was in quality control 2) No QB coach 3) 2 backup QBs who have no business on an NFL roster. And before you say it, the Kevin Kolb injury is no excuse. A viable option should have been identified much earlier than it has.

1. Timing. The Bills failed to secure a viable backup during the offseason, maintaining that they were happy with Tuel and Lewis. This wasn't posturing, either. Their failure to bring in another QB during the draft or address it during free agency suggests that they were happy with what they had. That changed very quickly after Lewis and Tuel's collectively disastrous preseason and camp. “We’re very happy with Thad Lewis,” said Whaley. “One of the things that Russ Brandon said that John Butler always told him is, in your backup quarterback, you want a guy to go .500. Now, he went 2-3, is that good enough? Obviously not, you’d rather him go 5-0, but we’re very comfortable with him.” - Doug Whaley during the scouting combine on taking second-hand personnel advice from a marketing executive 2. New ownership situation. Ironic that Whaley's quote of stupidity referenced above was before Ralph Wilson passed away, when his job was iron-clad secure as Russ's hand-picked guy. Once Ralph passed away, the front office realized they can't afford another season of failure -- hence the go-for-broke trade giving up next year's 1st rounder and hence their willingness to pay Orton $5M per year. 3. EJ. The hope was for EJ to make a gigantic leap this season. There's no doubt that this could still happen, but early indications are not good. Numerous reports have suggested veteran players walking into Marrone's office and informing him that EJ is simply not good enough. Failure to address the position would have lost the locker room. So yes, in my view the Orton signing has panic written all over it.

This is not about having it both ways. It's about gauging the temperature of the roster as it stands today and making an honest (but frank) assessment. Eli has won 2 Super Bowls. His ability to perform and win games is without dispute. For you to even analyze him in the same fashion one would the Bills' stable of QBs is asinine at best. EJ could get to Eli's level, who knows, but it will likely take some time. Surrounding him in the QB room with castoffs like Tuel and Thad Lewis is amateur no matter how you slice and dice it. Sprinkle in the fact that EJ was injured 3 times last season, one has to wonder how important the quarterback position really is in the eyes of this "esteemed" franchise. Just curious... do you have anything insightful to add to the discussion? Didn't think so.

This team has disaster written all over it. As much as I love Sammy Watkins a a player, I think they got schooled by the Browns in this trade, surrendering next year's first rounder to move up a mere 5 spots. That's the type of trade you make under 2 scenarios: (1) Acquiring a franchise QB (Think Giants and Eli) and (2) When your team is 1 player away (think Atlanta and Julio Jones). The Bills were in neither situation. Classic sign of a desperate front office unsure of its job security past this season. EJ is still developing as a QB and will likely make a number of mistakes along the way. The backup situation is disastrous. While Jacksonville does it right, having a veteran like Chad Henne in the room to support its young QB, this front office fills the roster with castoffs like Jeff Tuel and Thad Lewis. On one hand, it's humorous. On the other hand, it's flat out sad. The defense will keep this team in games, but this roster is not a playoff roster and I HOPE I'M DEAD WRONG!!!!

The Sabres were coached by a legend and one of the most respected coaches in the NFL in Lindy Ruff. Doug Marrone is not in that category. I would love to have Rex Ryan as coach. One of the better coaches in the league and can run circles around Doug Marrone.

Irrespective of the impact of an ownership change, this team has 4-12 written all over it. Marrone will be fired, short of an improbable Jim Harbaugh type turnaround that takes the team deep into the playoffs. A dismal season (yet again), a Top 10 pick surrendered to Cleveland, new ownership group -- hard to see Marrone having a future here, as unfair as it may be.

You're essentially taking Watkins being great as a given. There's risk inherent in any draft pick, even the very best ones. CJ Spiller was supposed to be a rookie of the year Adrian Peterson type talent. Hasn't quite materialize (yet). In trading up for Watkins, Whaley is banking on a) Watkins being great b) EJ establishing himself as a franchise QB and c) The Bills 2014 record being such that the 1st rounder given up is in the latter half of the round. Not a good risk to take given where the franchise is. When Dimitroff pulled off that trade for the Flacons, I had no problem with it because the franchise QB had been established. If I'm a Browns fan, I love this trade.

The bolded part above reflects exactly how I feel. When the Falcons made the trade up for Julio Jones, they had a franchise QB in place. When Whaley made this trade, they have a QB they really like, but the jury is still out. They simply should/could have taken Ebron and called it a day. Ebron would help EJ develop and next year's first round pick is still in the bank account should EJ have a setback of some kind. With an uncertain QB situation, the risk-reward simply doesn't favor this trade. I hope with all my might that this trade turns out well but I stand by my assertion that this was not a good risk to take given where the team is today.

I absolutely love the trade... if I'm the CLEVELAND BROWNS. Otherwise, it was a reckless move made by a front office gasping for straws facing job insecurity amindst an uncertain ownership situation. Let me complete the thought. If the season goes South (like most seasons have) or if EJ gets injured and we see Thad Lewis or Jeff Tuel in there, that first round pick could become a top 10 selection making it an atrocious move by our (former) GM.

So he goes all-in on a player at a position where the very best prospects often take a year or two to develop into the studs that they are?

Maybe you're right. I sure as hell hope you're right! But it seemed that by all accounts the Bills were very comfortable taking Ebron if they couldn't get Sammy Watkins. I think this trade centers around a single question: What's the probability next year's pick ends up in the Top 10? I personally think that probability is high because of uncertain at QB situation with no credible backup, lack of depth on the roster (still one more draft away), difficult schedule, and recent performance coming off 6-10 season). The Bills brass, on the other hand, thinks it's low.

Taking Ebron (or whoever Whaley and Co deems worthy) at #9 while maintaining a 2015 1st round draft asset is hardly wallowing away in self pity.

Of course, projecting the use of next year's first rounder is a hypothetical exercise. And being bold is great - I'm the last person to suggest a lame, conservative course of action. I just think this type of trade was reckless. I believe that trading a future first rounder to move up 5 spots for a WR when the team has a pretty good chance of missing the playoffs (again) is not a prudent risk to take. I of course hope I am dead wrong. I guess it's a matter of what the alternatives were. I agree with the Bills' desire to surround EJ with playmakers. What's the better outcome? (1) Watkins + No 2015 1st rounder or (2) Ebron + 2015 1st rounder If the Bills were a playoff team the year before or if EJ had established himself as the franchise QB, I'd take (1). Given where the Bills are today, I'd take (2) and I'm of course hoping that this trade proves me dead wrong

Completely disagree. By your logic: If the Bills could trade Kiko Alonso for a 2015 5th round pick, nobody can evaluate that as a bad trade until we get to Day 3 of the 2015 draft and see who's available on the board in the 5th round. Decisions are made based on risk tolerance and currently available information. Whaley surrendering a 2015 1st rounder when his QB has yet to prove himself is a dangerous move and assumes that (a) EJ is a franchise QB and (b) The Bills, coming off a 6-10 season are on the cusp of the playoffs and © Watkins will help them get there in 2014 even though many great WR prospects take time to adjust to the NFL game Bad risk but it apparently has gotten BILLS fans excited because the move was "bold"

CJ Spiller was once considered the most dynamic player in the draft. I think Watkins is a very very very good player. But that doesn't make it a good trade. The old regime would have sat tight at 9 and reached for a player with a late first round grade (see: Donte Whitner). The new regime actually knows how to draft well, which is all the more reason why I think this trade was reckless. You have to consider where the franchise is when making the trade. 3 straight 6-10 seasons. "Potential" franchise QB, yet unproven. Questionable depth. This makes it a high risk trade because the probability of another subpar season is by no means insignificant. Under these circumstances, do you surrender next year's first rounder to move up 5 spots? I don't think so and nor would most top front offices. Having said that, if I think there's a reasonable chance I'll be an unemployed GM next year when a new owner cleans house, I make that deal every time.

I share those thoughts. WR is definitely important, no doubt about that - but is it so valuable that you should surrender next year's first round pick? Especially when your QB has yet to establish himself as a franchise QB? It was a reckless risk given where the franchise sits today. Again, I hope I'm wrong and Watkins pushes the team to a playoff berth but even the very best receivers take some time to acclimate the NFL game (Julio Jones included).